Shahi Bridge

Shahi Bridge or Munim Khan's Bridge or Akbari Bridge or Mughal Bridge or Jaunpur Bridge is a 16th-century bridge over river Gomti in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The Shahi Bridge is located 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) north of Jaunpur Railway station, 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) northwest of Zafarābād, 16.2 kilometres (10.1 mi) north-northeast of Mariāhū and 26.6 kilometres (16.5 mi) west-northwest of the town of Kirākat.[1]

Shahi Bridge
शाही पुल
Panoramic view of Shahi bridge
Coordinates25.74870°N 82.68468°E / 25.74870; 82.68468
CrossesGomti River
LocaleJaunpur
Official nameAkbari Bridge
Maintained byDirectorate of Archaeology, (U.P.)
UP-PWD
UP Bridge corporation
Heritage status1978
Preceded byBoat Bridge of Sharki's
Followed bySadbhavana Bridge
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
History
DesignerAfzal Ali
Construction start1564
Construction end1567
Opened1567
Collapsed1934 (partial i.e. ⅓)
Statistics
Tollfree
Location

Construction
Jaunpur Bridge: a plate from 'William Hodges' book 'Select Views in India'

Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered the construction of the Shahi Bridge, which was completed in the year 1568–69 by Munim Khan.[2] It took four years to complete the bridge.[3] It was designed by Afghan architect Afzal Ali.[4]

Current use
Distant view of Shahi bridge over Gomti river, Jaunpur.

The bridge was severely damaged in the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake. Seven of its arches had to be rebuilt. In addition to its historical significance, the bridge is still in use.[5]

The bridge is on the Protection & Conservation list of Directorate of Archaeology, (U.P.) since 1978.[6]

The bridge is generally recognised as Jaunpur's most significant Mughal structure.

A new bridge parallel to Shahi Bridge was opened on 28 November, 2006 by the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav.[7][8]

In literature

William Hodges in his book 'Select Views in India' mentions about bridge:[9]

"The inundations have been frequently known to rise even over the bridge in so much that in the year 1774 a whole brigade of the British forces was passed over it in boats."

Rudyard Kipling's poem Akbar's Bridge mentions this bridge. [10]

See also

References
  1. ACME MApper
  2. Asher, Catherine Ella Blanshard (1992). Architecture of Mughal India. The new Cambridge history of India. 1.4. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-521-26728-1.
  3. Makhfi, Shahid A (22 April 2003). "Legacy of Sharqi Kingdom of Jaunpur". Victory News Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  4. Bradnock, Roma (2004). Footprint India (13 ed.). Bath: Footprint Books. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-904777-00-7.
  5. Cumming, Sir John (1939). Revealing India's Past. London: India Society. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4067-0408-2.
  6. Directorate of Archaeology (Uttar Pradesh): Protection & Conservation list Archived 2009-04-14 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Jaunpur: Mulayam to inaugurate bridge on Nov 28
  8. MULAYAM SINGH YADAV INAUGURATES VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT WORKS COSTING RS. 128 CRORE IN JAUNPUR
  9. India a modern idők elött

Notes
  • Alfieri, Bianca Maria. 2000. Islamic Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. London: Laurence King Publishing, 103.
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